Zette 🗞

news à la carte

September 27, 2022

setting the scene

  • your family, friends, and co-workers send you several articles a week from various news publications 📰

  • since you don't subscribe to every online news source, you're often met with the message: "subscribe to access the rest of this article" 🔒

  • your options are to pay for all these publications or pretend to have read the daily articles from your mom and boss 😳

  • this week's company provides a tool to access premium articles without subscribing to a dozen publications ✔️

in a sentence

Zette offers consumers access to paywalled news articles through a single paid account

  • access: users download a browser extension that pops up when a paywall shows up

  • paywalled: a feature used by news sites that limits access to paying customers

  • account: users pay a monthly subscription for access to 30 paywalled articles each month

bulleted version: think of Zette as an all-you-can-eat news buffet; for a monthly subscription, you can fill your plate with articles from Forbes, Miami Herald, and any other publication you fancy 🍽

the basics

sponsored by

  • raising funds? how do you find the best fit VCs, angels, or accelerators?

  • OpenVC is an aggregator that lists 1,200+ investors worldwide

  • the best part - it's free and open! try it now

due diligence

what we like

  • 📈 a gap in the market: companies implement paywalls in hopes of converting readers to paying customers, but conversion rates have historically been low

    • Zette adds an alternative revenue source and customer touchpoint for players in the growing $35b digital news market

  • 🌎 well-rounded perspective: Zette encourages readers to sample credible articles from a variety of news sources, attacking misinformation and promoting quality news

  • 🏙 consolidated clients: with frequent consolidation in the media market, Zette can offer customers hundreds of publications with the right few partners

    • for example, Zette closed a deal with McClatchy, an owner of 30+ newspapers

potential risks

  • 🤝 publisher-reliant: Zette must continue to close deals with publishing companies to keep users on the platform and cater to a wide audience

  • 💻 desktop-first: mobile devices have become the preferred way to consume news

    • Zette plans to roll out a mobile app soon, but will launching only with a desktop product cause them to miss out on early customers?

  • 🤳 the rise of modern media: the creator economy has introduced new ways to consume reliable news; will Zette include paid newsletters and video channels in its news offerings?

weekly cartoon

weekly cartoon

founder profiles

comps

why Zette: Zette is already making headlines with over 80 publication partners and a 6k-person waitlist growing 25% month-over-month 🚀

what do you think about this startup?

we want to hear from you!

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.